Things To Do In Beacon, NY 📅 04/24/2026
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CareFull MD Donates Tampons and Pads To High School For Free Use By Students
/Recognizing the ever-present need for period products, CareFull MD, the walk-in urgent care in Beacon at 252 Main Street (next to Key Food), has donated tampons and pads to the Beacon High School students via the Beacon High School PTSO.
“We understand the need for kids to have period products available to them them at all times, despite personal budgets, remembering to pack ahead or unexpected arrivals of the cycle. That is why we at CareFull MD donated these products to the high school, to help make sure these supplies are available to students for free,” said CareFull MD.
Said Principal Corey Dwyer Ed. D. in a thank you note: “On behalf of Beacon High School, we want to express our sincere gratitude for your generous donation of feminine hygiene products to our school community. Your kindness makes a real difference in the lives of our students. Access to these essential items helps ensure that every student can attend school comfortably and confidently. You support reflects a commitment to the well-being of the young people in our community, and we are truly grateful.”
Celebration of Addison Goodson; His Poetry and Soccer; Inside Nilfur's Home Kitchen
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Addison’s family and Nilfur bottom right.
Tonight Thursday was the Celebration of Addison Goodson, where many who knew him well and knew him a little came to pay their respects and visit. Many helping hands gathered around his wife Nilfur in her Home Kitchen, which will reopen after she has sorted everything that comes with passing life - the bills and the grief. The go fund me to help her bereavement is here: https://gofund.me/3c2664d86
Small business owners don’t have bereavement payment policies, or usually maternity leave or paternity leave. We are out here on our own. No government law could make us pay us with money that we don’t have. Be sure to book Nilfur for catering when she returns, and tell all your friends to come to her restaurant for her delicious and fresh Turkish food (the hummus was perfect, so light and smooth). The tea cups so colorful and waiting to be sipped from.
“Standing room only” noted one guest, Parisa Karami.
Addison’s Eulogy was spoken, and his poetry published in a pamphlet. Photos of his poems are here in this article. Little known fact to ALBB was that he played soccer on Saturday mornings with that crew at Memorial Park. His position? “Near the goal. He’d be down there and if the ball came close, he would kick it in. None of us really have positions. We just play,” said one fellow neighbor and soccer player to ALBB.
Not everyone knew Addison was struggling with such a fatal condition. Serves as a reminder to the rest of us with those who are still here, to stay close. xo
Be sure to read Addison’s poem, HOME, among his others.
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Obituary For Addison Goodson; Celebration Of Life Date; Fundraiser For His Wife Nilufer
/A celebration of Addison’s life will be held on Thursday, April 23 at 4:00 p.m. at Nilufer’s Home Kitchen, 135 Main Street, Beacon.
A community fundraising effort to support his wife Nilufer can be found at: https://gofund.me/3c2664d86. Recently, Addison faced a difficult battle with cancer and, after a courageous fight, passed away on Sunday, April 19th, 2026. Throughout his illness, Nilufer was by his side, often closing her restaurant to care for him. This devotion, while a testament to their love, has brought significant financial challenges—lost business revenue, mounting healthcare costs, and now, the expenses of saying goodbye to Addison.
Addison Goodson’s Obituary
Written by his sister, Klair Ethridge.
Addison Thomas Goodson, III, a resident of Beacon, New York since 2005, passed away peacefully at home on April 19, 2026. He was 69 years old.
Born on September 15, 1956, in New York City, Addison was the son of the late Addison Thomas Goodson, Jr. and Elizabeth Govern Goodson. He grew up in a family deeply connected to public service and education. His mother was a dedicated educator in the New York Public School System, and his father worked for the New York City Library System.
Addison attended the Bronx High School of Science, where he thrived alongside his siblings in the city’s public school system. During his youth, he spent summers working at the Henry Street Settlement, an early reflection of his lifelong commitment to community service. He later received a full New York State Regents Academic Scholarship and graduated from Southampton College, a campus of Long Island University.
Addison spent time living in Los Angeles, where he co-founded and helped develop a restaurant job training program at the St. Joseph Center in Venice Beach. The program trained unhoused individuals in both front- and back-of-house restaurant skills and became the foundation for the now-renowned Bread & Roses Café. Addison also co-chaired several charitable fundraisers, bringing together notable members of the Hollywood community to support the program. Throughout his life, he remained a passionate community organizer, activist, and advocate, and also served as an Ombudsman.
A man of many talents and passions, Addison was especially devoted to writing poetry. He began composing as a child and continued throughout his life, sharing his work through readings at the Howland Cultural Center and other local venues. He also had a lifelong love of soccer, playing locally with the United Football Club of Beacon and supporting his favorite teams, Manchester United and FC Barcelona.
Addison loved to travel and experience different cultures. He was known for his roguish wit and gallows humor, bringing laughter and light to those around him.
He is survived by his beloved wife, Nilufer Goodson; his son, Addison T. Goodson IV; his sister, Klair Ethridge and her husband Ben;, his brother, Marc Gaynor and his wife, Anna; several nieces and nephews; and many friends and community members who will miss him dearly.
In addition to his parents, Addison was predeceased by his daughter, Gamze Merih Goodson, and his brother, Peter Shephard.
Funeral arrangements are under the care of Riverview Funeral Home by Halvey, LLC. To send a personal condolence, please visit www.riverviewbyhalvey.com.
Addison Goodson Has Passed; Advocate and Husband To Nilfur's Home Kitchen
/Addison Goodson has passed away, according to his wife Nilfur Goodson, and according to himself in his own video posted in Nilfur’s Home Kitchen’s Instagram. Addison and Nilfur Goodson owned and operated the eatery which serves Turkish breakfast and more. At Christmas time, a Black Santa statue would stand outside to welcome everyone inside.
“He was truly my soul mate. He was always kind and thoughtful. I am going to miss him every minute of my life. He was a different soul. He was thinking everybody but himself. He was tooo tired all he had been through. I believe he is in peace. God bless him with my whole heart.”
“We lost my beloved husband, Addison, passed away early this morning. This is to inform those who loved him,” wrote Nilfur on the restaurant’s Instagram page. She also wrote a note on the door of the shop, saying: “Due to the loss of my dearest husband, Nilfur’s Home Kitchen is closed until further notice.”
Addison was a known and visible community member in the City of Beacon. He could be seen walking the streets, attending City Council Meetings advocating for affordable housing, attending marches for Palestinian liberation, among other causes he believed in. He often gave those around him encouraging words of support to continue their work.
In his own video published the following morning by Nilfur, Addison said: “Like in the movies, if you’re watching this, I’m probably dead. But, I like my point of view here. If I got to go, I got to go in a warm place of love. And I’m very grateful to my wife, the Wonderfulest.”
In a statement to A Little Beacon Blog, Nilfur said of her husband: “He was truly my soul mate. He was always kind and thoughtful. I am going to miss him every minute of my life. He was a different soul. He was thinking everybody but himself. He was tooo tired all he had been through. I believe he is in peace. God bless him with my whole heart.”
Community members were tracking Addison’s health online based on Nilfur’s health updates for him at the restaurant. Just after posting her award for being awarded “Most Successful International Executive Chef” in Turkey in September 2024, the health updates started.
In October 2024, Nilfur posted: “My dearest friends and guests, due to my husband’s health condition, we will only be open for breakfast. Thank you for understanding.”
In September 2025, Nilfur wrote: “We will be closed October 3th, 2025, Friday for health issue. Hopefully we will open October 4th Saturday.”
In November 2025, Nilfur wrote: “Hi Everyone, We will be closed between Nov. 10th-Nov. 17th. My husband will have heart surgery and I need to take care of him. Sorry for inconvenience.”
And now on Sunday, April 19th, 2026, the final message.
Blessings, peace and mercy to Addison and Nilfur Goodson.
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"Always Leaves Me Speechless": The 5th Episode Of The Erasure Of Civil Rights Champion Paul Robeson in "Peekskill Riots" Docu-Series
/Photo Credit: Katie Hellmuth
Attended the screening of the 5th and final documentary in the docu-series, “Peekskill Riots: Wake Up America” by local historian Jon Scott Bennett held at the Beacon Library this past Thursday, which highlights the brutally erased civil rights leader, orator, singer, actor, athlete and attorney Paul Robeson by many players within the U.S. Government, and in Peekskill itself.
The Beacon community is lucky that the Beacon Library is one of Jon Scott Bennet’s biggest fans, unlike the Peekskill Museum, which tries to suppress this violent event and denied the filmmaker access to historical documents about the riots during the making of this film.
After seeing one of Jon’s films on Paul Robeson’s eternal fight for liberation, justice and equality for African Americans, ALBB is always left speechless.
Cannot wait to interview Jon again for another episode on A Little Beacon Pod, where we will cover these topics:
Eleanor Roosevelt: How that first lady condemned Paul Robeson after he and many peaceful concert goers were brutally attacked by white mobs organized by veterans groups and not protected by the local police. Eleanor Roosevelt played the Communist card to contribute to the eventual erasure of Paul Robeson.
How the victims of the Peekskill Riots, who were majority Jewish families who had been settling in Peekskill in summer camps, as well as African Americans who were supporting their civil liberties, were vilified by the local media. The Peekskill Riots were a convergence of boiling antisemitism against Jewish people as well as anti-African American sentiment in this blue collar town whose industry had been lost and was being replaced by tourism and summering.
The quest by one of Peekskill’s historians, John J. Curran, to erase the Peekskill Riots from Peekskill despite local and national media, as well as local citizens who experienced it, as well members of the violent white mob carrying signs saying: “America Wake Up: Peekskill Did” identifying it as Peekskill.
Urban Renewal’s role in this; displacement of African Americans from communities.
James Earl Jones performance of Paul Robeson defending himself before a committee to get his passport back, after the U.S. took it away, which killed his income as a performer.
The conspiracy theory that Paul Robeson was drugged, triggering a breakdown and attempted suicide attempt, followed by a second attempt, resulting in over 50 electroshock treatments that changed him forever.
Opinion: City of Beacon Should Announce All Terminations, Resignations, Retirements and Publish Current Employee Names and Photos
/The City of Beacon only publicly announces when a person is hired or promoted in the City of Beacon because it requires a formal vote and Resolution from the City Council. From time to time, a high-profile retirement or resignation is announced publicly. For example, if a department head, like a Building Inspector, resigns, that is usually announced because it is a department head position.
A resignation or termination for Motor Equipment Operator for the Highway Department, for instance, is not generally announced. Nor are resignation letters read publicly, if an employee writes one with the hopes of being heard to better the employment situation as a whole. As Ed McNair did when he resigned from his position in the Highway Department before James Cottrell was hired to fill the open position.
After writing articles about employment issues and employment positions in the City of Beacon, it is the opinion of this blog that the City of Beacon should publish the names and photos of all employees of the City of Beacon.
The City should continue on its promise of not only publishing all current Police Officers positions, as Mayor Lee Kyriacou vowed to do during the Black Lives Matter Movement in 2020 and did start one, updated it in January 2022, and updated again in 2024. There may be other updates, but those would be buried in Google, as there is no direct link to the current staff of Police from the Police Department page, or any department page, including Highway, Water and Sewers, Wastewater, Transfer Station (aka “The Dump”), Fire, etc. The Parks and Recreation Department has the most names who are not department heads published on their page of current employees.
For all of the praise that civil service employees of the City of Beacon receive, it would be helpful knowing who they are. This is also important for accountability.
Terminations and Resignations Generally Not Released
Also not shared with citizens of the City of Beacon who pay their salaries are when these employees are no longer working for the City of Beacon. Aside from select individuals who are praised at their retirements (not all employees are offered public farewells), the people of the City of Beacon, are not told when a person has been terminated, has resigned, or has retired.
For each new hire, the City Council is presented with the proposed candidate by the department head, who will describe the qualifications of the potential employee. The City Council then must take a vote on hiring that person. The Resolution for that person’s hire is published on the City’s website in the “Agenda Packet” that is published with each City Council Meeting.
The only way the people of the City of Beacon would know that a new employee had quit 3 weeks after being hired, for example, would be by word of mouth.
Unpaid Administrative Leave Also Not Announced - Employee Discipline Dollars Required For Budget
Also not published is when an employee is placed on Administrative Leave - Paid or Unpaid. For example, when Reuben Simmons was placed on Unpaid Leave in January 2021, just days after City Administrator Chris White’s first days on the job after replacing Anthony Ruggiero who resigned his position in Beacon to work for the Department of Behavioral and Community Health of Dutchess County, the people of Beacon did not know that in an official release from the City of Beacon.
Beacon’s first Human Resources (HR) Director, Gina Basile, resigned after 1.5 years on the job in January 2022. During one of her presentations after meeting with city employees, she stated: “I have heard employee concerns about discrimination, inequality, and growing tensions,” Gina stated in a printed presentation. “We need to address these issues head-on, and policies and procedures are only the beginning. We need a long-term plan on how to address these issues.”
Employment Issues Are Discovered During Arbitration Hearings
Also not disclosed was the amount of tax dollars spent on trying to terminate Reuben during that time, for example. Only people who were following the story very closely could surmise that the City Council was being briefed on Reuben’s various Arbitration Hearings during the City Council’s private “Executive Sessions” after the public City Council Meeting ended.
City Administrator Chris tried terminating Reuben since Chris entered his job in Beacon. However, Reuben had elected to go to Arbitration, which means that he contested the reasons he was being fired. During that time, City Administrator Chris requested and was authorized the release of funds. This was written about here at ALBB: “Over $111,000 Unplanned City of Beacon Dollars Spent On "Employee Discipline" Matter(s) - What's Going On?”
Specifically: “During the 12/13/2021 Monday Night Workshop Meeting, the City Administrator Chris White put forth to the City Council an approval to move $45,900 more dollars from an unrelated area of the budget - a real estate area of the budget - into a legal section of the budget to cover ‘associated employee discipline beyond the budget to date.’”
ALBB also reported during that time: “The second noted proposed transfer tonight of $45,900 to ‘Employee Discipline’ is being transferred from ‘In REM Sale of Property.’”
Therefore, ALBB sees it valuable and necessary to publish the hires, fires, resignations and retirements of each employee in a published log that does not disappear and does not discriminate against length of time - no matter how short or long a person worked for the City of Beacon. Each employee should have their own timelines since their time of interning, to official hiring, subsequent promotions, and exits.
Additionally, this publication asked if the City of Beacon conducts Exit Interviews with exiting employees, and if those interviews are made public.
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ALBB Brings Back 5K Races and Marathons Guide! Send In Your Faves; Sponsorship On This Guide Is Open
/By popular demand, A Little Beacon Blog is bringing back our 5K Races and Marathon Guide 🌸! Beginning with the Guardian Revival Marathon in May, registration going on now. Details and links in ALBB’s Calendar and 5K Guide.
🏃🏿🏃🏽♀️🏃🏼♀️ Got a marathon you want to see included here? Emil it to us.
📢 💸 ALBB is opening this guide to sponsorships! Book a Banner Ad on this guide to feature your business, event, or other message you want to reach our readers with. Email for details.
Recap Of 4/6/2026 City Council Meeting: Chris White's Retirement Addressed; Successor Named; Termination Of Highway Department Reflected On In This Broadcast
/This recap of the 4/6/2026 City Council Meeting first published on A Little Beacon Blog’s Instagram, but is 23 minutes, so was cut off, could not include sub titles because of the great length, and was split into two videos. After receiving interest in this video, it is being published here for you to listen to while ALBB works on the articles that coincide with it. The most important thing is for you to have this information.
During this meeting, the successor to City Administrator Chris White was voted on. We don’t know why Chris White retired after 5 years on the job. He said during this meeting that he wanted to “hike the Appalachian Trail,” and that he hoped to make a “cameo appearance” as the person who gets to cut off people speaking Public Comment when they have 15 seconds left.
Employees of the City of Beacon usually try to stay as long as they can. This recap includes analysis of an issue going on in the Highway Department right now that ALBB will publish on.
Topics covered here:
The Highway Department employee, James Cottrell (aka Jim or Jimmy) who was terminated on January 7, 2026, one day after he filed a complaint for targeted harassment on January 6, 2026. ALBB has the paperwork of this employee’s multiple complaints and experiences, and is working on publishing those. This is a long story, so this video will give you a brief overview.
The Highway Department employee Reuben Simmons, (aka Coach Yogi) and his job title as Highway Superintendent dissolving, causing his resulting demotion, and the promotion of current Superintendent of Streets Mickey Manzi into that position of being the department head. After Mickey admitted to writing at least one anonymous letter to the City Council during Mickey’s alleged campaign to discredit Reuben to push him out of the City Service job and eventually replace him. Reuben has been relegated to the Street Sweeper ever since. According to several employees of the Highway Department, including James Cottrell, they were instructed by their boss, Mickey, not to speak to Reuben. However, two employees tell ALBB, once they did speak to Reuben, they found him to be a nice person, and then began to feel retaliation from their boss.
The resignation of Eddie McNair, who identifies as African American and alleged complaints of racist behavior condoned around him in his Letter of Resignation. James Cottrell was hired to replace him.
The gun that was allegedly brought to work by a co-worker and friend of Mickey, Steve Bechtold, during the campaign to get Reuben out of the position of department head.
Alleged video recording via Meta-type glasses of Highway Department employees by another employee.
The complete (yet polite) shredding of an affordable housing survey by the City Council, namely Lastar Gorton, Paloma Wake, Zach Smith and some questions by Carolyn Bennett Glauda.
Am on deadline for client projects, so will circle back with more articles in this series. Meanwhile, please do listen to this broadcast in full for context as this story gets told. It is a difficult one to tell because of disrespect for people, pettiness, and Civil Service rules that can be used to either side’s advantage.
One Last Thing…
Listening to the City Council Members and Mayor Kyriacou and City Administrator Chris White (with the expectation of new Councilmember Lastar Gorton who sharply questioned process which has been lax on this appointment) explain why the newly created position of Deputy City Administrator for Ben Swanson, who is now being appointed to be City Administrator without a public search for that position.
While ALBB also agrees Deputy City Administrator Ben Swanson is very qualified for the position with a lot of hands-in, boots on the ground experience, from a Civil Service point of view, watching this uncontested, non-public appointment is extremely frustrating in terms of a fairness perspective to how others in other departments have been treated under this City Administrator Chris White (see above).
More to come once meeting is done. As Mayor Kyriacou continues to “beg” for other board appointments without making board appointments very public, if at all public. Hence the last Board of Assessment Review Board non-published appointment (hint: an Epstein Files resignation).
Discriminatory and Dangerous Conditions Reported At Bedford Hills Correctional Facility; TGNCNBI People Suffering
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The Legal Aid Society has issued a press release which has been published in full below, with the addition of quotes from an earlier report from two NY State lawmakers.
30 Legal Organizations, Advocates Demand DOCCS Immediately Address Discriminatory and Dangerous Conditions Impacting Safety, Well-Being of TGNCNBI Individuals at Bedford Hills Correctional Facility
In the Past Two Months,
Three People Have Died at
Bedford Hills Correctional Facility
More than 30 legal organizations, advocacy groups, attorneys with Transgender, Gender Non-Conforming, Non-Binary, and Intersex (TGNCNBI) clients, and others sent a letter to New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS) Commissioner Daniel F. Martuscello III demanding he take immediate action to address the deplorable conditions currently threatening the safety, health, and well-being of TGNCNBI people housed at Bedford Hills Correctional Facility in upstate New York.
According to the letter, these policies and practices include increases in unjustified uses of force, extended lock-ins, restrictions on out-of-cell recreation, lack of access to safe, private showers, as well as barriers to accessing gender-affirming clothing and care.
“We echo the demand for DOCCS to remove DSS Blot from any role requiring direct interaction with incarcerated individuals or oversight of security staff, on the basis that his appointment has overseen a period of intensified violence in the facility. Such an action would be one step towards much needed changes at Bedford, including the restoration of indoor recreation and safe access to showers for all incarcerated people.”
These conditions, the letter asserts, were primarily implemented following the installation of Deputy Superintendent of Security (DSS) Michael Blot in the summer of 2025. Despite advocates and lawmakers raising alarms about DSS Blot’s policies, no corrective actions have been taken, and TGNCNBI people have continued to suffer under his draconian leadership. Earlier this year in March 2026, three people died in the facility – two by suicide — in a period of just four weeks.
During that time, New York State Senator Pete Harckham and Assemblymember Chris Burdick responded by sending a letter to DOCC calling for an investigation into recent suicides at Bedford Hills Correctional Facility.
According to the legislators, individuals are now required to sign up in advance for all out-of-cell services, including showers, kitchen access, phone calls, and laundry. These changes have resulted in incarcerated individuals spending significantly more time confined to their cells.
In their letter, the lawmakers stated: “The well-being of individuals within correctional facilities is the responsibility of the state government, and we must ensure that people in our custody are treated fairly and humanely,” said Harckham. “Reports that individuals are being denied access to basic services and are confined to their cells for excessive periods are deeply troubling. I hope DOCCS will investigate these matters thoroughly so that we can identify solutions and prevent further tragedies.”
April 2026's Letter From The 30 Legal Organizations
The letter sent in April 2026 from the 30 legal organizations outlines several actions DOCCS can immediately take to mitigate this crisis, including:
an immediate, independent investigation into reports that DSS Blot is ordering staff to engage in unjustified uses of force against incarcerated people;
a reversal of any official or discretionary policies that have led to extended lock-ins and lack of sufficient and safe access to showers, including but not limited to rescinding Facility Operations Manual 311;
restore indoor recreation in all housing units;
end the practice of requiring trans masculine and nonbinary individuals to wear bras upon intake;
ensure timely and regular access to medical and mental health treatment, including gender-affirming care;
ensure staff, including National Guard staff, are trained on and compliant with policies to ensure the respectful treatment of TGNCNBI people in custody, and discipline staff for any misconduct; and
remove DSS Blot from any role requiring direct interaction with incarcerated individuals or oversight of security staff.
Moreover, the letter requests that Commissioner Martuscello promptly meet with a group of representatives and advocates for TGNCNBI individuals — and particularly those with lived experiences by — to discuss the concerns, as well as proposed solutions to improve the safety and well-being of TGNCNBI people housed at the facility.
“Despite numerous attempts from advocates and lawmakers to bring attention to the deplorable conditions at Bedford Hills, DOCCS has failed to address the dangerous conditions and practices ushered in by DSS Blot, which incarcerated people have reported has led to unjustified uses of force, denied medical and mental health care, and tragic losses of life,” said Erin Beth Harrist, Director of the LGBTQ+ Unit at The Legal Aid Society. “We demand immediate action be taken to mitigate these harms and protect TGNCNBI people at Bedford Hills, including an independent investigation into the unjustified uses of force.”
“People who are incarcerated deserve dignity. Yet, at Bedford Hills, DOCCS continues to subject transgender, gender non-conforming, non-binary, and intersex people to abhorrent conditions,” said M. Porter, staff attorney at the New York Civil Liberties Union. “Every day of inaction is a direct threat to the safety, health and well-being of our incarcerated community members. With the Trump administration escalating its attacks against trans people behind bars, DOCCS must act immediately to ensure this facility provides the fundamental care and respect every human being is entitled to.”
“DOCCS and Commissioner Martuscello have been placed on notice by our community. We demand that conditions at Bedford Hills be restored to how they existed prior to Deputy Superintendent Michael Blot’s appointment. We are also calling for the removal of DSS Michael Blot from Bedford Hills Correctional Facility. ”
Diana Colavita, an organizer with Survived & Punished New York, said, “The latest crisis of violence, neglect, and repression inside Bedford Hills Correctional demonstrates once again that there’s no such thing as a safe cage. We echo the demand for DOCCS to remove DSS Blot from any role requiring direct interaction with incarcerated individuals or oversight of security staff, on the basis that his appointment has overseen a period of intensified violence in the facility. Such an action would be one step towards much needed changes at Bedford, including the restoration of indoor recreation and safe access to showers for all incarcerated people. Ultimately, we believe that the best cage is an empty one and in the meantime, stand with the TGNC community in ensuring that conditions inside Bedford shift rapidly.”
“The crisis at Bedford Hills Correctional Facility is a blatant failure of accountability. Women and TGNCNBI people inside have long raised alarms about dangerous and degrading conditions, yet New York still fails to act. Multiple deaths later and DSS Michael Blot, who oversees this women’s facility despite serious allegations of misconduct, remains in a position of power. Blot must be removed immediately, and swift action taken to protect the health, safety, and dignity of everyone in custody,” said Serena Martin, Executive Director of New Hour for Women and Children.
“We do not believe in the carceral prison system. We understand it functions as one that harms and terrorizes communities. We will continue to stand in solidarity with our loved ones inside to resist any new DOCCS administrative practices that increase violence and harm. We will not wait for further injury, death, or abuse to occur at the hands of this system — whether through correctional officers, National Guard involvement, administrative policies, or alleged cover-ups and misinformation.
"DOCCS and Commissioner Martuscello have been placed on notice by our community. We demand that conditions at Bedford Hills be restored to how they existed prior to Deputy Superintendent Michael Blot’s appointment. We are also calling for the removal of DSS Michael Blot from Bedford Hills Correctional Facility.
"To ensure that those responsible are held accountable for their intentional disregard for the lives and well-being of all affected by these recent illegal changes in policy, we demand a thorough and comprehensive independent investigation into the circumstances that led to the deaths of Shamdai Arjun, Tracy Morales, and Manuela ‘Mannie’ Morgan, as well as any incidents involving correctional officers or members of the National Guard who have resorted to violence, causing injury or harm to individuals held at this facility. These claims and details are based on allegations provided and have not been independently verified,” said Bayna-Lehkiem El-Amin, Community Organizer with F2L.
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The Legal Aid Society is a nonprofit law firm that exists for one simple yet powerful reason: to ensure that New Yorkers are not denied their right to equal justice because of poverty. For 150 years, we have protected, defended, and advocated for those who have struggled in silence for far too long. Every day, in every borough, The Legal Aid Society changes the lives of the people we serve and helps improve our communities.
Prepping The Weekend "Things To Do" Newsletter: Get Your Events Submitted
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Prepping ALBB’s “Things To Do” weekend newsletter. Digging through the inbox to find previously submitted events.
How ALBB’s Things To Do In Weekend Newsletter Works:
🗓️Free Events for the Community get a consideration for gratis. This does not apply if you’re having a free screening and people can buy drinks from your bar.
🗓️ Pricing Levels: start at $60/listing/week; $285 for Instagram inclusion; $895 for listing with video, and $3,250 for a Full Spread Article Branded Content option for a dedicated newsletter.
🗓️ Free for A Little Beacon Business Blog Squad Members: To a point. Event Venues and others who have more than 4 events a month can get a membership level that fits all their events with banner ad in side column of website.
Details and purchase here:
www.alittlebeaconblog.com/event-promotion-1
Membership for Retail Things To Do In Beacon Guides Only
Restaurants/Shopping/Beauty/Classes
$150/month for every other week feature
$250/month for weekly feature
$550/month for event venues with more than 4 events to Spotlight
Features can include events, or spotlights on menu items or shopping products or hairstyles.
Loading in now is the Palestine Bake Sale from @angryasianwomxn @butihatepepperoni ; and the final episode of the Peekskill Riots (!!) from @jonscottbennett at @beaconlibrary
All Member Advertisers of ALBB: please email us your upcoming events you want to be sure is in our Calendar for Restaurant, Shopping, Beauty or Classes.
Thank you!!
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CLASS: Boat America: Learn From The U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary: Part Of Requirements Of Certificate
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The U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla from Verplanck, NY will host a "Boat America" Responsible Boating Course on Saturday, April,18, 2026, from 9am - 5:30pm in the Community Room in the Fishkill Police Department offices at 801 NY-52, Fishkill, NY 12524
This is the course that is necessary to obtain your State of New York Boating Safety Certificate. Starting in 2025, this Certificate is necessary for anybody to operate on the waterways of New York.
Coast Guard Auxiliarists teach the course. The session will cover the rules of navigating, equipment use, boating emergency management, environmentally friendly boating and water safety for all ages.
Registration costs $45 per person. Children under 17 can attend for free when accompanied by a paying adult.
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The City of Beacon entered into a contract with Legal Services of the Hudson Valley to provide increased access to Beacon tenants facing eviction. They may also be able to help with sources of rent arrears assistance. Call the paralegal, Steven Mihalik at 845-253-6953 to inquire.
Dutchess County Helpline. Open 24/7 to take your calls, listen, and give you resources.